


Puzzle Pieces

by FoolishIdiot



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst and Feels, Break Up, Emotional Hurt, F/M, ML Secret Santa, One Shot, Relationship Struggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 06:39:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9059944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoolishIdiot/pseuds/FoolishIdiot
Summary: She never really expected to just blurt it out one day when she was over at his place for what was suppose to be a date night-in but ended up basically being him working on something or another on the computer and her flipping through channels on his TV, wishing she had brought her sketch book.
“I can’t do this anymore.” She suddenly announced. Shocking even herself in the silence.
Adrien stopped and turned to look at her, obviously confused. “Then don’t? You can read something instead if you want.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Totally_lucky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Totally_lucky/gifts).



They had been together for so long, it almost seemed natural that they’d stay that way forever.  
  


That’s not how to real world works though. They were drifting in such opposite directions that she saw Chat more than she saw Adrien some weeks. And she wasn’t dating Chat.  
  


She also was finding that her feelings for Chat were growing more intense with every meeting. Making her feel an extreme amount of guilt in her relationship with Adrien.  
  


It didn’t help that life itself seemed to decide that they weren’t going to last.  
  


She decided to talk to him about it, but had been fighting herself for several days about how she was going to do this.   
  


She never really expected to just blurt it out one day when she was over at his place for what was suppose to be a date night-in but ended up basically being him working on something or another on the computer and her flipping through channels on his TV, wishing she had brought her sketch book.  
  


“I can’t do this anymore.” She suddenly announced. Shocking even herself in the silence.  
  


Adrien stopped and turned to look at her, obviously confused. “Then don’t? You can read something instead if you want.”  
  


Letting out a frustrated sigh, Marinette turned off the television and stood facing him. “Not this,” she gestured to the tv set, “ This!” She empathized, gesturing between her and Adrien.  
  


Adrien stood up from his computer chair, more confused than before, and made slow steps in Marinettes directions. “What… What exactly do you mean?”  
  


“This isn’t working anymore, Adrien. I know it, you know it! I’m tired of pretending I don’t see it!” It would seem that now that she’s started she can’t seem to stop.  
  


Adrien stopped walking and was silent for a couple of seconds before finally speaking.  
  


“What.. what are you talking about?” His throat suddenly felt really dry.  
  


“I’m talking about us! I don’t want to be here anymore. You don’t want me here anymore either.We’ve just reached that point where we need to go our separate ways. This whole relationship has been on autopilot for months! We’ve just been going through the motions!”   
  


"Why do you say that?" It was getting harder to remember how to breathe now.  
  


“Look, Adrien …I love you so much. So, so much, and I probably always will... I just don’t like you anymore.” It wasn't like she tried to be mean. It was more so that she had to. It didn't make sense to her either, but that was just the truth of it all.  
  


She tried to say one thing but the filter between her intentions and her words cut everything all to pieces. Leaving what was left to come out jagged and sharp. Flying out of her mouth like broken pieces of glass, slicing into everything and everyone around her. Including herself.  
  


“What do you mean then…?” He was starting to feel a little angry. Hurt and angry. He really tried to not let it get the best of him. Maybe he could still fix this.  
  


"I thought we already went over this. I can't do this anymore." She sighed and turned on her heels. Walking as gracefully as she can towards the door. Maybe she should just leave, maybe this wasn’t the right time after all.  
  


"Wait! Why can’t we fix this?! Why are you just walking away like you don’t feel anything at all! What are you afraid of? The world ending because we talked it out?" He was trying so hard not to get angry. Trying so hard not to let the fact that his world was falling to shambles around him reach his voice.  
  


She winced, freezing at the door. Taking in a deep breath she let it turn into a long sigh.   
  


"The whole world end? No, don't be ridiculous." There was more bite in those words then she meant. His wince was so obvious she didn’t have to see it to know it happened.  
  


Turning around to face him, she let her gaze meet his. The moment their eyes connected she knew she'd made a mistake. She should've kept walking, she should've never let herself turn around.  
  


Blinking hard to push back the burning sensation building in her eyes, she brought one arm up to grab the opposite elbow. A false feeling of holding it together.  
  


"You know how I feel.."  
  


"Yes, I do!" He exclaimed, taking a step towards her. "So why are you trying to run from me?"  
  


She stepped back, mirroring his step forward. Her back gently brushed the door behind her and she could slightly feel the heat from outside. It was nice compared to the coldness of this room.   
  


“It’s not that simple! I’m not running. I’m removing myself from this situation before it becomes something regrettable.”  
  


“When did we become a ‘situation’?” He swallowed the lump in his throat. Determined not to let his voice crack nor shake. “How is this…” A deep breath to steady his heart, “How are we regrettable?”  
  


Her fingers dug into the skin around her elbow as she tensed up. She didn’t want to do this. She never wanted to be the reason he felt so broken. She never intended to break him.  
  


However, she couldn’t just keep pretending either. Things weren’t right and they hadn’t been for a while now. People change and sometimes they start down different paths. She understood that. She’d always understood that. It was just getting him to come to terms with it that was so painful.  
  


“I never said we are regrettable.” Her reply was almost whispered and she cleared her throat in an attempt to find her voice again. “I said I didn’t want us to become regrettable. We’re changing, Adrien. We’re drifting apart. I'll always love you but-”  
  


“Then why?!” He felt almost desperate. Throwing his hands into his hair and dragging them down his face. Not caring that he had cut her off.  
  


“It's not enough." She finished. “I don’t have a long winded explanation.” Sighing, Marinette continued, “All I know is that I don’t love you like you want me to. But I’ll always consider you a loving friend.” She was starting to feel frustrated that words weren't coming to her as easily as they normally do.   
  


"Friend?! You love me like a friend? That's _bullshit_! Don't try pulling that crap on me!!” Adrien jabbed a finger in her direction to emphasize his point and his anger.  
  


"I’m not trying to pull anything! Of course that’s not the extent of my feelings but that’s the extent of what I want us to be!"    
  


She didn't know what she had to do to make him understand. She knew this would be hard, that it'd hurt. She knew it hurt him most of all, which was why she was trying really hard to keep her head about her.\  
  


“That doesn’t make any sense at all! Come on Marinette, think about this! We can make this work. You don’t have to-”  
  


“And what about when I start falling for someone else? What then?! Is that enough Adrien?! Do I have to tell you that I love someone else to make you understand that I don’t want to be here anymore?!”  
  


Marinette clasped a hand over her mouth as her eyes widened. She hadn’t meant to say that. She wasn’t suppose to say that. She blinked hard as the burning sensation intensified. However, all that managed to do was push out a couple tears.  
  


Adrien froze. His face in some kind of contortion of pain and shock and a little bit of rage.  
  


“You have feelings for someone else?” A pause. “Is that was this is about? This is about you wanting to be with someone else?!” He hadn’t meant to but he started yelling a bit at the end. He bit the inside of his mouth and tried taking a deep breath to fill the hole being carved into his chest. It ended up sounding more like an annoyed stuttering sigh.  
  


Marinette shook her head almost frantically. “This isn’t about me being with someone else.” She defended as she removed her hand from her mouth. “Because I don’t want to be. And I never have been! Before you say anything.” She injected quickly, seeing him open his mouth in protest.  
  


She let her arms fall to her side in a way that seemed almost like defeat. “Adrien, when I think about my future… I’m not phased by the thought of you not being with me. How can I stay in a relationship when I can’t bring myself to care if it last past next week? How can I make you stay in a relationship build on half-assed feelings?”  
  


Taking a step away from the door and closer to him, Marinette reached for his hand. Grabbing it, she interlace their fingers. Adrien stared at her, a whirlpool of emotions in his eyes.  
  


“We’re not two perfect puzzle pieces.” She continued, bringing their hands to eye-level. “We’re more like those awkward pieces that, sure, they fit together if you look at them sideways. But there’s always that gap between them. That bit of space that drives you crazy because you just can’t seem to understand why they just won’t fit. It takes you awhile to realize it’s because they don’t belong. And while separating them now can be a pain, you eventually have to do it if you want to move forward.”  
  


Adrien took his hand back from Marinette. Looking down, he examined his fingers. “Why can’t we just stay like that? Who cares about the spaces…”  
  


“I care about the spaces. I need to be able to move forward. I don’t…” Her words caught in her throat. She swallowed them and tried again. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t want to stay here either.”  
  


Marinette turned, starting for the door again. She felt like her insides were shaking.    
  
He had done nothing wrong. Neither of them had. They just weren’t meant to be. It hurt her. She admits to that. Leaving him hurt her. But what hurt her the most was knowing that she was hurting him. She was still compassionate. She still cared enough to feel guilty about this whole thing.  
  


Adrien stumbled forward and grabbed Marinette’s wrist before she was able to reach for the door handle. Startled, she turned her head to look at him, eyes questioning with hints of something he couldn’t make out.  
  


“Please Mari..” He whispered, hearing his voice break and swallowing hard, cursing himself internally. His grip tightened just a little bit in his desperation. “I need you…”  
  


Tears that she had no time to try and blink away rolled down her cheeks as she looked at him. She twisted her wrist in his grip, pulling it away with a meager tug.    
  
“Adrien...” Her voice choked and she again found herself having to swallow the lump that formed.  
  


“I’m sorry…” Was all she said. And with that, she grasped the door knob. Turned it in her hand and flew out the door before Adrien had time to protest.  
  


She told herself that it wasn’t his heartbroken cries she could hear as she walked away.


End file.
